spyro is a pretty simple game, and there's nothing wrong with that. a lot of people in the reviews for this game call it a baby game and I agree, it's not very challenging. that doesn't mean it isn't fun, however. I never played a spyro game as a kid, it was only as an adult I got around to it with the reignited trilogy, and it's so damn relaxing. just running around chill levels with beautiful music in the background. this is the only game in the trilogy with no need for backtracking, which I appreciate. you can do every level 100% the first time you get there. there isn't much to say past that. a beautiful, if easy and simple collect-athon. spyro 2 is better tho. and I'm going through 3 right now but that'll probs be better as well.

"When you make a game, all you start with is a blank piece of paper, and a few big ideas..."

What a start to notably legendary, but oft forgotten about video game series. A humble little platformer game born from a comment about how cool dragons are and how cool it would be to make a game about them. Because of such a comment, it laid the work for what would be one of THE cornerstones of the Playstation, practically a mascot title for the PS1 next to Crash Bandicoot.

With amazing visuals that almost mimic a watercolor painting, an amazing soundtrack that's both comfy and fantastical, and simple yet engaging gameplay about harassing frog monsters and collecting gems, it's no wonder Spyro was a heavy hitter back in the day, even compared to it contemporaries, such as Mario 64, Crash, and even Banjo. Its such a chill game to jump into that I personally can't help but have a smile on my face and feel like I'm 9 years old once again, sitting on my messy ass bed in front of my tiny ass CRT television precariously sitting at the corner of my drawer counter.

Going back, though, it can be a little bit too basic. Once you know where everything is, you've practically conquered the game in its entirety. The game is designed in a way that there is absolutely no need to backtrack. Every Dragon, gem, and egg thief can be reached on the first go, no matter what, which is a good thing on paper, as it comes down to skill and knowledge alone, but seeing as the game is relatively easy (save for CERTAIN realms), the minimal requirement to 100% an area is quite low. The only reason one would want to go back to a 100% area after that would either to farm for more lives, or just vibe in the world's music and visuals. Honestly, not a bad idea once you've completely beaten the game, especially with its fantastical, dreamlike atmosphere.

My other gripe would have to be its story, in that it's paper thin at best, which is majorly corrected in its direct sequel. Sure, it helps kinda keep the vibe of the low-stakes nature of the game, but i probably would have appreciated a bit more agency from Spyro aside from him demanding to go after Gnasty Gnorc because... because. But, that's just me, honestly.

All that said, however, I'm incredibly fond of this game. I played the hell out of the demo way back when I first got a playstation with the winter 1998 JAMPAK disk. It wouldn't be until years later that I'd pick up the full version of the game after I've beaten its sequel an absurd amount of times, only to do the same for the original, and eagerly wait for my chance to pick up the third game (which I'll likely talk about another day). I still have desires to just go back and boot up my PS1 just to play how it was originally intended, even though I also have the remakes in my collection.

Spyro the Dragon, an incredibly important game on the Playstation 1, a technical marvel of design and artistry, and just an absolutely solid and fun platformer all around, would be the foundations for two incredible sequels, and a wide variety of ups and downs in its legacy, before disappearing for a while and resurfacing for the Reignited Trilogy.

Cheers to the future of Spyro, may we officially see a proper Spyro 4 now that Crash has gotten one, and may the spicy little purple boi never EVER be forgotten.

Booting up my ps2 and hearing the opening intro took me back to a time when I was 6 years old and playing a rented blockbuster copy on my original ps2 (truly the greatest console). The rudimentary graphics and the charmingly 90's voice of Spyro by Carlos Alazraqui bring you back to the time period rather quickly. And for its time Spyro the Dragon was a fun and fluid platformer.

Spyro's camera and movement controls are surprisingly fluid and easy to work with if a little tanky. The jumping feels floaty and the controls good but a little slow to respond. Even if it is considering that Mario 64 revolutionized 3d controls only 2 years before Spyro came out I think they pulled it off pretty well for the time.

The art style and music really hold up. The bright pastel textures look pretty despite the early ps1 graphics. And the music is happy and light making everything feel like one of the saturday morning cartoons you used to watch. And it has quite the playtime to boot! Featuring many levels with plenty of good gimmicks to keep you engaged and entertained.

Spyro is a classic game that deserves your attention. The playful acting. The childishly bright graphics. The fantastical music. And the endless platforming fun. I definitely recommend you give Spyro a try!

A disclaimer before I start this review: I finished the SNES port, which has around 10 extra levels including ones in a heavily welcome practice mode to get the controls downpat, as well as much more colours, a new soundtrack, and so forth. No doubt it is the version I rec, but I would heavily advise playing it on BSNES with 2 frames of runahead if your rig can handle it. This is about the only game I can think of offhand (barring rhythm games) where I really felt like I needed it to play the game.

Prince of Persia is one of the most legendary and immersive games of all time. The passion project of a kiddo who grew up loving film and comics, he set out to make a game that could really make the most of his love for their worlds, as well as his love for animation and immersion. It really shows in the visual department, which is what I will be covering first.

Prince of Persia was a real triumph in overcoming hardware limitations, as detailed in depth here: https://youtu.be/sw0VfmXKq54
Essentially, Mechner in a pre-Photoshop world traced footage of his brother wearing all white clothing to rotoscope highly fluid animations such that they could be abstract enough to fit in an Arabian Nights-inspired world.

I am pleased to report that this port was very true to the aesthetic Mechner aimed for. The dungeons are still insanely oppressive, ranging from cracked dusty blue-gray walls with no semblance of lighting beyond torches to clean royal palace interiors lined with red carpet after red carpet to suggest the sheer sense of royalty. The character designs are also much more fitting to create a sense of immersion in the setting than the minimalist original sprites, as if this was the world Mechner envisioned in his mind. Truly one of the most visually impressive portjobs in an era where one could not simply transfer source code from one device to another due to the sheer difference in capabilities and programming approaches between different systems on the market.

To boot, it was given an OST facelift that truly created a sense of mystery and danger to epic degrees. I appreciate how the OST for opening levels feels like a calm before the storm, while later levels have music with instruments harsh enough to strike one with fear as everything on screen is stained bloodred in the hellish inferno.
https://youtu.be/1hSDOPmjojE?list=PLAs1Kha_R9dJHE0nwiK_y6VoT6b89BNgl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ_PBUNAjWY&list=PLAs1Kha_R9dJHE0nwiK_y6VoT6b89BNgl&index=8

I will admit the OST is not particularly something I would listen to outside of the game itself, but damn while it's there it truly gets the job done and sticks in one's head for a while. I do wish there was a wider variety of grunt noises for the battles, however since it can be jarring over the game's span.

The story is very minimalist in its approach, but it is integrated so well with the gameplay. Seeing Shadow Man steal Prince's potions, and therefore extending his health bar, really helps to sell that this asshole is your mirror reflection. And to defeat him, one does not swordfight him to the death, but rather... fuse with him and become one, gaining all the potions he stole in the process. The Shadow Man was created from the Prince's own inner demons and reflected through a mirror, so the Prince defeats him by having the courage to face his inner demons. Without a single word of dialogue, Mechner brilliantly created what was perhaps the first true rival figure in a video game and created one of the most genius story moments in the medium without a single cutscene. I was absolutely flabbergasted to experience something like this in a mid-80s game.

The puzzle solving and difficulty are a mixed bag. There are cool moments to be had such as the otherworldly space warps towards the end of the game, or allowing the mouse friend to save the Prince from the cage to signify to the player that the Prince isn't some wish fulfillment badass who can always take care of himself without any help, but rather an underdog. The battles can be rather repetitive, but damn it's always fun when there are opportunities to kill enemies more easily with traps such as making them get decapitated by guillotines. To say nothing of the hilarious gravity glitch I exploited during the boss rush https://gyazo.com/c4c884dacd0e515bd72a54c88c5c522a

Unfortunately, the jumping, even with the runahead, feels too delayed at times especially given the strictness of some jumps. The Prince also doesn't always have the best handling with turns, and the straightup sword battles can get rather dull by the end. I think if there were a few more bosses with gimmicks to them like the 4 armed motherfucker just creating earthquakes with every jump, I would have felt more positively about the battles overall.

That all being said though, Prince of Persia is a real history lesson of a game and holds up stunningly well being one of the first of its kind, especially with the QOL and aesthetic enhancements on the system. Its influence is felt very strongly in countless later cinematic platformers such as Flashback, Another World, and the Oddworld games. Nothing but respect for this classic masterpiece. If you're a masochist like me who has the utmost love for uber challenging games, and enjoys going through influential games as history lessons of sorts, this is the game for you. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with admiring it from a distance.